Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the umbrella group of retired judges in the state have agreed to set up a joint committee to resolve the issue of outstanding benefits and pensions due the retirees for the past 16 years.
The state government had since 2007 failed to pay the retirement benefits of the former judges, which include gratuities, consolidated allowances, severance packages, pension and miscellaneous entitlements.
A press statement from Mr Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, which was made available to journalists, said subsequent administrations had made several commitments either by way of making authorization for payment or giving approvals to make payment by installments but none of the commitments was made good.
This led to the judges filing an action at the National Industrial Court in 2020 to recover their entitlements.
Sadly, as the court cases rage, some of these judges are said to have died without receiving their benefits, while many have become sick and unable to afford proper medical care.
The immediate past government reportedly promised to pay N10 million every month, but only did so for one month.
However, the Governor Otti, desirous of bringing the sufferings of the retired jurists to an end, met with them on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in his residence in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Council Area and assured them of government’s resolve to bring their predicament to a close.
At the emergency meeting convened at the instance of the governor to proffer solution to the lingering impasse, the retired judges and their lead counsel, a former Attorney General of Abia State, Prof. Awa Kalu, agreed with Governor Otti to immediately set up a committee to resolve the issue.
The committee, to be constituted from among the retired judges, officials from the Ministry of Justice and relevant officers of government, would calculate and confirm the actual sum due to each of the retired judges or the beneficiaries of those deceased and report back to the governor within two weeks.
